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Monday, July 8, 2013

Battered in Brazil: The Most Gruesome Sports Story Ever

All eyes will soon be on Brazil.
May I recommend protective goggles?
The South American country - known for its beautiful beaches, seductively waxed women and raucous parties - will host two of the world's biggest sporting events in the coming years: The World Cup in 2014 and The Summer Olympics in 2016. But if what happened last week is any indication, there won't be enough security on the planet to insulate us.
In one of the most violent and gruesome sports stories ever, a 20-year-old soccer referee stabbed a player to death, then was attacked, killed - and eventually dismemebered - by an angry mob of fans.
Yep, you heard me.

In Brazil they call futbol "The Beautiful Game." But this is as ugly as it gets.
It was an amateur match in Maranhao, the country's northeast region a thousand miles from Rio. After a foul called by Otavio Jordao da Silva, 30-year-old player Josenir dos Santos Abreu approached to argue and threw a punch, but was stabbed by the referee with a knife.
As the player was taken away in an ambulance, friends and fans stormed the field and attacked da Silva, tying him up and beating him. And when word of Abreu's death en route to the hosptial reached the mob, they then lynched him, stoned him and ultimately cut of his limbs and his head, placing it on a spike in the middle of the field.
So far there has been one arrest.
And lots of reminders that John McEnroe's tirades toward linesmen weren't so bad after all.
For those of you with creepy curiosity, here is the video of doctors attempting to piece back together the referee's ravaged body: Definitely NSFW.

Soccer popularity is to blame? That's what we're going with? You can't put blame on the sport because of the actions of a few of its fans. When do we start pointing fingers at the NFL for pistol wielding tight ends? Manslaughtering lineman? This rationale gets you nowhere. Hold individuals accountable, enjoy the game.

I don't think, as Americans, we'll ever understand other countries, because our democracy is "newer." They've had a civilization there for thousands of years and things like that are just ingrained deeply in them. Look at Africa and all the turmoil there. Could you ever imagine militias riding through your town, burning homes, killing, and raping with no regard? But that's the way it's been done for hundreds if not thousands of years. It's barbaric to us and I'm guessing one of the reasons for the crusades.